by Lily White
“You seem a little stunned by the fact that I’d made the inquiry into your former parish. Or should I say your twin brother’s current parish…Jericho.”
My body flinched at the way he’d spoken my brother’s name, thoughts racing so hard that it took me a minute at least to decipher what he’d meant by the name.
But more than that, the realization that I was still named the priest of the parish in that small rural town stunned me so thoroughly that I was frozen in place, caught beneath the weight of the question as to why I hadn’t yet been replaced.
Ignoring his pointed accusation that I was pretending to be someone I wasn’t, that I was Jericho pretending to be Jacob Hayle, I worried about what his discovery meant for a parish located in the center of a sleepy town in the Appalachians.
“Did you call the Diocese to confirm the name of the priest at my former parish, or did you just look it up on the Internet?”
The corner of his lips tipped up. “I looked it up first and came to the conclusion that perhaps the website hadn’t yet been updated. I then called the parish to confirm, but nobody answered. I tried for two days before finally giving up and called the Diocese. It appears there was nothing to update because Father Jacob Hayle had never left the parish as you have claimed. That leaves me with one conclusion: You’re not Jacob, like you claim. You are Jericho Hayle, coming here and talking to me under the guise of being your twin brother.”
Shock and anger filtered through me, mixing and churning until it was a toxic solution spreading from the center of my chest, up into my head, out into my arms and to the tips of my fingers, down until it soured my stomach and trickled lower into my legs.
“Father Jacob Hayle,” I repeated slowly, “is still the priest at Lady of Serenity? You’re sure of this?”
He shook his head in disbelief, but rather than his expression denoting anger, it withered into soft sympathy instead. “Of course, I’m sure. I confirmed it with the Diocese, like I said. What I would like to know is why you’re here pretending to be somebody you’re not? I would have spoken to you regardless, Jericho. Would have given you the same information I gave when you claimed to be Jacob. I’m as angry as you are about what happened to you as a child in this parish, and I’m not concerned with the accidents both the music director and priest had later in life. That’s between you and God, and I’m in no position to cast judgment.” He relaxed against his seat even more, the leather creaking on the armrests as he pulled his arms down to his sides. “Hell,” he admitted on a resolute voice, “I probably would have done the same.”
I had to get out of there, had to jump online and look for myself to see that he wasn’t lying. The only problem was that now Timothy knew something wasn’t right in that small parish, that there was a possibility that more attention should be given to the small, rural town. The only way I could knock him off course without killing him and hiding his body was to go along with the assumption that I was someone else.
“I didn’t kill anybody,” I admitted honestly. Well, not intentionally, at least. Cassandra and Eve both were no longer breathing because of me.
Shifting my position on the cushion of my chair, I slouched like a man who’d been caught in a lie, a man who was giving up the pretenses of being someone he was not.
“Fine, you caught me. And I’ll admit that I’m here because I wanted to know what happened to the people who’d abused me for many years of my life. Unlike what you suspect, I didn’t kill them. Not my father, not the priest or the music director. I-“
Intentionally letting my voice trail off, I played the part of a shamed man, of a person who was giving up the lie and who wanted nothing more than to abandon it entirely.
“I should go.”
Timothy sat up, his movement urgent and sudden. “No. You don’t need to leave. I might be able to help you, Jericho.”
The sound of my brother’s name was a spear piercing my side. If what Timothy was saying was true, than Jericho was impersonating me, acting like the friendly Catholic priest in a town that wouldn’t know any better. What the fuck was that sick bastard doing to a town full of people who wouldn’t recognize the monster behind the starched white clerical collar?
“I’m sorry I bothered you,” I stuttered, “I shouldn’t have come here. Please forgive me.”
Standing up from my seat, I’d made it three steps toward the door before Timothy was on his feet racing toward me. His hand gripped my bicep and spun me around, his eyes meeting mine with sympathy. “I can help you, Jericho. I can give you the peace of mind you’re seeking.”
With the amount of anger and concern that was flooding through me for my former parish, I highly doubted he’d give me even a fraction of peace. I knew I needed to leave this city, knew I’d have to face my brother at some point to confront him about the games he played. Learning about what happened to him as a child had softened my heart toward him, but now that I knew he’d stepped into my parish to take my place, I felt only fury and worry for the game he was apparently still playing.
Why would he do such a thing? What did he stand to gain?
Shrugging out of Timothy’s hold, I bowed my head in feigned embarrassment. My voice was low and morose when I lied just to have an excuse to leave. “I didn’t want you to know I’m Jericho. Didn’t want you to look at me and know what was done to me. I need to process the fact that you figured it out and I can come back once I get over my embarrassment and shock. Give me a few days to deal with this. And I hope you can accept my apology for having lied.”
Timothy breathed out a heavy breath, but his expression softened again before he inclined his head. “Take all the time you need, Jericho. But it’s my hope you return. I’m sure I can help you find peace, that I can help you understand and forgive the evil that was committed against you. It wasn’t God who allowed those men to do evil things, and I don’t want you wandering lost in this world because you aren’t able to see that. Men have free will, they have the ability to prey on people that are weaker than them. But God also has a way of healing the people who have been hurt. Please allow me to help you see that. Not every priest is a bad man.”
I knew he was honest in his offer, knew he was one of the good men who truly wanted to help the lost. For that alone, I couldn’t give an answer that would hurt him.
“I’ll return,” I promised despite knowing I’d never come back. The look in his eyes told me he knew I was lying, but that he still hoped I’d change my mind.
Inclining his head again, he reached out a hand to shake mine. When I accepted, he placed his free hand on my shoulder. “Walk with God, Jericho. And when you’re ready to come back and let me help, I’ll be waiting.”
Without thanking him or saying another word, I released his hold and practically ran from his office.
ELIJAH
After sitting in the parish for several hours listening to the pathetic confessions of townspeople who truly believed their little white lies and common human behaviors were worth the guilt that led them to confession, I made my way home to the compound. Upon arrival, I took the time to talk with a few of the family members, to pretend like I gave much of a damn about their spiritual help. I toured the gardens like I was expected to do, I lavished praise and prayers on the fruits of the family’s labors and after playing the role of a man who would lead them all to the gates of Heaven, I slipped away into my private bedroom to look upon a woman I hadn’t paid much attention to over the past few days.
Eve hadn’t left the compound since the night of my last sermon, and I’d tasked Richard with continuing to give her the special herbal teas I’d prepared. According to his reports, he’d kept her so tangled up and twisted that any inclination she may have had to remember oddities between her time with me and the time she’d spent with Jacob was now buried deep beneath the haze of the chemicals we were feeding her.
As I walked in and found her lying on the bed, unbound because there was no longer a need to restrain her, I hissed out a breath ove
r my lips to see the physical toll our games had taken.
The skin beneath her eyes was bruised a deep purple, and beneath that her cheeks were hollow. So pale that she was pure white beneath the fall of her long, dark hair, Eve looked over to me with death resting just behind her eyes. That blank green stare held no affection or worship, had lost the glimmer of love and devotion I was used to seeing behind it.
My heart pounded slowly beneath my ribs, my hands clenching into fists to see the bones sticking out from beneath her skin, the absence of color that hinted to life inside her body. I never intended this, never wanted to hurt her or risk her life. Yet, as I stood there looking at her for the first time in days, all I saw was an animated corpse.
Crossing the room on three long strides, I took a seat on the bed beside her, ignoring how she winced in pain when the mattress dipped beneath my weight. A sigh filtered over her cracked and chapped lips, but she still managed to attempt a smile.
“Elijah,” she breathed out, trying and failing to raise a hand to touch my face. Her arm trembled and she dropped it back down, misery flickering behind her tired gaze for not having been given the chance to touch me. Reaching out, I took her hand in mine to find it cold despite the warmth in the room.
“How are you feeling?”
Several seconds passed before she found enough breath to answer. “Like death is staring me in the face. The demon is going to win, isn’t it? It’s going to drag me down until I’m lost.” Pausing to catch her breath, once again, she managed to whisper, “I’m sorry, Elijah, for having failed you.”
No. I couldn’t allow this, couldn’t find it within myself not to care for this beautiful girl who I’d created and shaped. I wasn’t surprised when my brother failed to resist her temptation because, in truth, Eve was everything the two of us had ever dreamed of. A perfect woman, silent and subservient, an angel on this Earth that didn’t know how to say no, and would never complain. Why we both needed someone so fragile was outside my understanding, but I didn’t give it much thought. All I knew is there would never be another woman as perfect as the one staring up at me.
“You’re wrong,” I answered, my voice deep and resolute. “I think the demon is weakening. I think it’s time to pull it from your body.”
Her green eyes widened as much as they could. They didn’t glisten beneath the lights, and the white was stained red, but she tried to appear happy to hear what I’d said. “Now? I’m not sure I’m worthy of your love now. I’m not sure I deserve it.”
My fingers squeezed her hand softly. “Not now. You’re too weak. I need you to eat something, Eve. If you gain strength, it won’t be hard to force that bastard from your body. Once he’s gone, evil won’t be able to return again. You’re my wife. I’ll protect you with the might of God’s hand.”
She simple nodded her head, too weak to respond verbally.
Letting her go, I reached up to brush my knuckles down her cheek. There was nobody home behind those eyes, and I was positive she wouldn’t bring up Jacob again. My intention hadn’t been to harm her, it had been to weaken her mind and bury the truth that I’d used her to get rid of my brother.
That she called him the kind one was comical and I wondered for a moment what had happened to the darkness that had always existed inside my brother.
He was the darker twin. My father had been right about that. But I’d become stronger after letting go of poor little Jericho Hayle and replacing him with Elijah.
“I’m going to get you some food. I want you to stay awake long enough to eat. After that you can rest again and I’ll be back later tonight after giving my sermon.”
Her lips twitched as she tried to smile. Giving up, she breathed out and back in. “I’ve missed your sermons,” she whispered.
My eyes closed at the breathlessness in her voice. I missed the sound of it against my ear as I buried myself deep inside the heat of her body.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes, Eve. Don’t fall asleep.”
I didn’t wait for her to answer before leaving the room. Before going to the kitchen, I set out to find Richard and demand he stop giving Eve the teas I’d set out for her. Her body had grown too weak for them, and had I been at the compound instead of the parish, I would have recognized that weakness before it got to this point.
Joshua was in the storeroom that led to the backyard. So consumed by looking through the shelves for whatever item it was he needed, he didn’t notice I’d entered until I spoke.
“Have you seen Richard?”
He jumped in place but quickly regained his balance. His head turned to me and he smiled. “He’s out back, I believe. I think he’s exploring the woods to see if he can expand the land we have for our garden.”
My smile matched Joshua’s, but instead of being friendly it was amused. “I’ll go look for him out there.”
Slipping past the man I’d watched grow from a small boy, I made my way across the backyard and unlocked the chain that kept the fence closed. Only three people had a key to the lock, Richard, myself and Joshua. We were the only people who needed access to the outside as I’d convinced the rest of the family that evil lurked just beyond the border of the wall. The family believed we were brave and strong for managing to travel into the world without being infected by its evil. In truth, we were three secretive bastards who kept the family in the dark as to the world at large.
Slowly making my way down the trail that my prey always followed, I took my time weaving beneath the thick branches of trees, moving into and out of the streams of dying sunlight that managed to break through the leaves. One after another, those rays lit my path until the woods opened up into a small clearing where a small wooden cabin could be found. Smoke rose in slow puffs out of the chimney letting me know that Richard was inside.
Stepping slowly through the twigs and dead leaves, I barely made a sound as I approached and listened closely for any clue as to what he was doing to pass the time. It had been a week since he’d abducted the businessman and his daughter. Surely the girl was dead by now.
My hand wrapped over the handle of the door as soon as I was within reach, my forearm flexing as I turned it and let myself inside.
Turns out the girl wasn’t dead after all. The bastard had kept her alive for the entire week. Richard’s head spun in my direction as soon as he heard me step in. I looked at the girl with a question in my eye before returning my gaze back to him. He didn’t need to hear the question to know what I was asking.
“I want to keep her,” he confessed. “I want her instead of my wife.”
My lips kicked up into a smile. “And what will you do when she grows older? Kill her and replace your wife again? Isn’t that how we found your wife in the first place? You always want to keep them, Richard. I allowed it once, but I won’t take that risk again.”
His broad shoulders rolled back, his chest puffing out with anger. “She won’t say anything. I’ll make sure of it. She wants to stay with me.”
I highly doubted that, but still I looked over at the young girl who sat naked and shivering on top of the platform, her body wrapped in the same thick blanket I’d used long ago with Eve. Her face was downturned and she didn’t bother to look up at me. There was no doubt she’d lied to Richard in order to stay alive, and she’d chosen to endure the rape and torture hoping that someday she’d find a way to escape.
“I’m sorry, Richard. But you’ll have to let her go.”
The poor girl winced in response to my words. Still staring at her, I noticed her eyes close and a tear slip down her cheek. I had to hand it to her for being a decent enough actress to make Richard believe she really wanted him. Even now I was struggling to see the truth that she was planning her escape.
“When?” he asked, his gritty voice curt and clipped. “When do I have to let her go?”
My eyes snapped to his, a question flickering through my mind that I couldn’t help but ask. “You do know what I mean by let her go, right? You haven’t forgotten what’s t
o be done with them when we’re through playing?”
Darting a glance between the girl and me, Richard stepped in my direction and moved past me to open the front door. I turned to see him silently request for me to follow him outside.
The door closed as we stepped out into the woods and I leaned back against an exterior wall. Folding my arms over my chest I watched in amused silence as Richard struggled to bring himself under control. He was angry that I’d told him the girl couldn’t stay, angry that I treated him like the minion he was rather than an equal partner with equal say.
“Why can’t I keep her?” he asked, his feet pivoting on their heels, his eyes locking to mine with frustration and rage. “I should have a choice of who I want to fuck on a nightly basis.”
He’d taken his current wife, much like he’d stolen the girl in the cabin, and had begged for her much like he was begging now. How many woman would he have to go through to figure out he’d lose interest once they grew older? I wanted to hate him for looking upon practical children with more desire than he did adults, wanted to toss him firmly in the same category as the bastard priest and music director who had laughed at me with the same lust-filled eyes.
“You’ll only grow tired of her, Richard. Stop denying it to yourself. She’ll grow older just like the other one did and how will we explain to the family that your wives keep mysteriously dying?” Pausing, I allowed my words to sink in. “You can keep this one until we need the cabin for something else. I’m not saying you have to get rid of her immediately. If anybody questions your absence, you can claim that I saw evil approaching the compound and you’re outside watching the perimeter. Those brainwashed bastards will believe anything you tell them as long as it points to their bullshit God.”
Huffing out a breath, Richard’s shoulders relaxed to find out that I wasn’t demanding he dispose of the young woman immediately. Shuffling his foot over the dirt in front of him, he swallowed down his hasty rage and took a few seconds to look up at me. “Why are you out here?”